We tried this out for a ten-episode season to see whether it generated any interest, intending to pick out a title afterward. People seem to enjoy it and we have fun making it. Well into season three, we've still never settled on a name beyond just... The Podcast. If you're new to podcasts, Simon recommends Overcast: Use this link to subscribe, or see the main feed for more subscription methods.

This time on the podcast, Mike, Sam, and Simon toast Belgium and discuss: The opening days of the Trump administration in America; is Belgium like Mike thinks Belgium is? (And if not, is America)?; the ethics of wiping out the Cylons; the ethics of bugging the opposition; the AI future; plus Rogue One and more on Tabby’s Star.

This time on the podcast, Mike, Sam, and Simon talk about: "Travelers"; Belgium and Europe; Russia and cyberwar; Hamilton electors and false-flags; 2016 deaths; the transition and "draining the swamp"; Trump-brand corruption; and the latest papal silliness, the post-pontificate, and the presidency.

Season two

This time on the podcast, Mike, Sam, and Simon discuss: How we all got the election so very wrong and what lessons need to be learned going forward; squelching the emerging dynasticism of American politics; actors confronting politicians; turning "palin" into a verb and "trumpy" into an adjective; Trump's hundred-day plan; the perils of empowering an office and the pain of losing for the first time; the electoral college; and play what-if: what if Trump had run as a Democrat? Will Hillary be indicted?

This time on the podcast, Mike, Sam, and Simon discuss: Halloween Ghostbuster costumes; ethical issues regarding to Westworld and robot-sex; the continuing oddness of Tabby's Star and the non-contact first-contact scenario; the marginal utility of a single vote; and Lucy Brenton, libertarianism, abortion, and federalism.

This time on the podcast, Mike, Sam, and Simon discuss: The mooted Portal movie, Netflix's new Marvel series Luke Cage and ABC's ongoing Agents of SHIELD and its potential reintegration into the wider MCU; the debate, the state of the race; follow-up on the balanced rebellion and Gary Johnson; Trek v. Trump and the dystopian nightmare that is Trek; the dystopian nightmare that is the postconciliar Catholic Church; the dystopian nightmare that is the current state of the current political discourse; the cognitive bias codex; unarmed victims and evidence; and Elon Musk's stunning Mars plans.

This time on the podcast, there's a bit of a GLoP feel to it as Mike, Sam, and Simon discuss: Tolkien, Le Carre, CGI, and breaking the illusion; The Magnificent Seven, Westworld, and finding the right vehicle for stories ("Ringworld"; "Divergent"; "Star Trek"); Gary Johnson and the Balance Rebellion; Hillary's inability to close the deal, the "charisma gap," and Sarah Palin; the alt-right; Russia and the Ukraine; changes to the Democratic Party's nomination process; Evan McMullin; "Leverage," "Personal Space," and the new planet discovered around Proxima Centauri; and the 9/11 anniversary and the world economic order. Bonus: We recorded on 9/11 and got realtime reaction to Hillary Clinton fainting and thoughts on the relevance of candidates' health.

This time on the podcast, Mike visits Switzerland, Simon tries to set Sam up with Mayim Biyalik, and we talk about: Cathedrals turning into museums; the Father Hamel killing; "Central Intelligence" and Dwayne Johnson; the incredibly obvious groundwork for "Michelle 2020" and the rise of dynasticism; the state of the race—is Hillary Clinton somehow now the small-c conservative choice in the race?; the Trump brand, the GOP, and the post-Trump hinterland; what happens if nothing happens? What happens, period?; Trump as Jed Bartlett; Kaine as Hillary's Veep choice; Gary Johnson's play; Pokemon Go; and "Brexit."

This time, Mike, Sam, and Simon discuss: Brexit; pornographer's license, curator's power, and the Apple ecosystem; Pope Francis' latest firestorm; the depths of nerdery and the speed of plot; the gun-control debate; Popes Urbans II and VIII, PR genii; trans-age-ism; and the depressing lack of courage among those who should be challenging Trump.

This time, Mike, Sam, & Simon discus: Captain America Civil War; Simon wants intermissions back in movies; Mike wonders about "peak Marvel"; possibilities for a new Firefly movie; Rogue One; everyone is horrified and depressed about Trump; Gary Johnson and the state of the race; Coburn/Bayh and Trump/Sanders tickets; tribes and arguments; the troubled future of the union; regionalisms; and the House contingency.

This time, Mike, Sam & Simon discuss: The state of the race; Portlandia’s take on Battlestar Galactica; the confederate flag; Pope Francis on social media; Jacob Rees-Mogg on estrangement; the necessity of a purging fire to get rid of the Trumpkins; failing and the art of getting back up; Firefly, creator’s intent, and creative separation; Apple, encryption, brains, Caprica, and CGP Grey; Sam walks around in a Jayne hat, Mike has fun making Simon blush, and Simon visits the spiritual home of the podcast, the Maker’s Mark distillery in Loretto, Kentucky.

This time on the podcast, Mike, Sam, & Simon discuss:The end of Lent, the state of the race; the "Team America" theory of Trump; the myth of the golden age; Catholic commercialism; Bernie Sanders and socialism; what government will and won't subsidize; the dangers of trivialization and the rise of the new god of the gaps argument; which other reality TV stars may get into politics; the gas-giant candidate redux; the end of parties, redux; the ethics of independents and primaries; the establishment's ultimate problem; the twitter primary and #NoneOfTheAbove; under protest from Simon, follow-up on robot sex (from "No surge protector tonight," S1.3); and Richard M. Nixon's head in a glass case.

Recorded Feb. 14, the year of our salvation 2016; published Feb. 17 following.

And we're back! This time on the podcast, Mike, Sam, & Simon discuss: Justice Scalia's passing; the utility of voter apathy; the future (or lack thereof) of parties; the art and purpose of compromise; the arc of Trump's campaign and how we called it wrong; the Trump post-presidency; and the state of the race.

Season one

Recorded Dec. 12, the year of our salvation 2015; published Dec. 21 following.

On the last episode of the season, Mike, Sam, and Simon discuss: The Donald Trump show; what to do at the end of the world; the corruption of language; the unthinkable thought of giving ISIS what it wants; Trump's proposal to exclude and register Muslims; the uniqueness (or otherwise) of the Incarnation; faith, nation, and the political order; and ideas versus practice as the core of religions.

Recorded Dec. 1, the year of our salvation 2015; published Dec. 4 following.

This week—the penultimate episode of the season—Mike, Sam, & Simon discuss: Jenna Coleman departing and The Expanse arriving; MCU happenings; fear and loathing in advertising; fanfic mousetraps; conservatism in Europe versus conservatism in America; cultural appropriation and microaggression; Kat Timpf being attractive and liking things that are cool; and the importance of not being too cool.

Show notes

Recorded Nov. 14, the year of our salvation 2015; published Nov. 22 following.

This week, Mike, Sam & Simon discuss: Incoming sci-fi adaptations and deviations from the books; the illiberal madness consuming American campuses; the synod on the family; and Simon's recent essay on three strands of postconciliar Catholicism. We apologize for the audio quality in the first fifteen minutes or thereabouts of the show; it does get better thereafter. Also, we're trialling a short bit of theme music, so let us know what you think of that.

Recorded Nov. 1, the year of our salvation 2015; published Nov. 8 following.

This time, Mike, Sam, and Simon take a different tack and follow up on a variety of items from previous episodes: Tinder and the new shape of relationships; female robots, gender politics, and the ethics of social stratification among AIs of varying sophistication; the miragey-ness (vel non) of the singularity; ethics and liability of self-driving cars; prosecuting "straw purchases" of firearms; Jeb on deathwatch; the shocking, Oliver Stone-grade ineptitude of CNBC's debate team as hit-men; why people remain Anglicans and why they convert; trigger-warnings in academia; and—hypothetical: What if Catholics had proposed affirmative consent as a "blue law"?

Recorded October 2, the year of our salvation 2015; published October 6 following.

This time, Mike, Sam, and Simon discuss: Comings and goings in the 2016 race; Francis in America; Jesus Christ, philosopher, and the Buddha in each of us; Kim Davis... uh... we can only say encounters Pope Francis; logic card games; the Synod of Bishops gears up; the risk of balkanizing (or Anglicanizing) canon law; whither the Kasperite concern for reaching out to fornicators?; "everyone receives communion"; the declining Anglican communion; and, as always, our craft brew preferences for the week.

Recorded September 6, the year of our salvation 2015; published September 8 following.

This time, Mike, Sam, and Simon discuss: The nuclear endgame of World War 2; the Iraq war; Kim Davis; can Catholics run for public office in the America that is coming into being?; please God, "peak Trump"; the dangers of populism and the use of even a useless Congressional majority.